Aravind Srinivas Drives AI Shift With Perplexity
Aravind Srinivas has become a widely recognized figure in the world of artificial intelligence, especially after securing a major partnership between Perplexity AI and telecom giant Bharti Airtel. The deal, which grants 360 million Airtel users free access to Perplexity Pro for a year, has pushed the innovative AI search engine into the spotlight. But Srinivas’ rise goes far beyond this single milestone.
Perplexity was launched in 2022 by Srinivas and his co-founders Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, and Andy Konwinski. The goal was bold: to create a credible and transparent AI-powered search engine that rivals the dominance of Google. Unlike traditional search engines, Perplexity delivers answers in a conversational tone while citing original sources, offering a more verifiable and streamlined experience. This model has gained significant traction as users look for clarity and credibility in search results.
What separates Perplexity from competitors like ChatGPT is its dual focus on interaction and accuracy. While ChatGPT engages in broad conversations, Perplexity sharpens its functionality to respond directly with relevant and sourced information. The approach is paying off—by July 2025, the company had reached a valuation of $18 billion and amassed over 30 million active users, fielding 780 million monthly queries globally.
A major boost came in May 2025, when the strategic collaboration with Bharti Airtel expanded Perplexity’s user reach significantly in India. This aggressive scaling plan aligns with Srinivas’ vision of democratizing access to credible AI tools, especially in growing tech markets.
Beyond its flagship search engine, Perplexity has launched the Comet browser, a tool designed for voice-first web navigation. Targeting enterprise applications and supporting revenue-sharing models for content creators, Comet reflects the company’s ambition to reshape the web experience at large.
Srinivas’ journey started in Chennai, inspired by his mother’s IIT Madras dreams. Though initially unable to switch to Computer Science, his fascination with machine learning drove him to self-learn coding and excel in AI competitions. After interning with deep learning legend Yoshua Bengio, he pursued a PhD in AI from UC Berkeley.
Despite acquisition interest from tech giants like Meta and Apple, Srinivas remains focused on maintaining Perplexity’s independence. An IPO is expected after 2028. His journey illustrates how passion, perseverance, and purpose can lead to industry-changing innovation.
